Save files are corrupted

[Tracido]

Honestly... having myself a fair share of experience in software development... I couldn't even rightly tell you who's fault it really is. Sure, money is always a driving factor, but there also usually is ego and a whole lot of powerplay involved when stuff like this happens.
It really is a perfect storm, when you think about it: From the developers that probably lost themselves in feature creep and constantly changing demands from the people in charge, to the team leads that neither could reign in management expectations nor developer focus, to project leads and the same management believing their own hype, to crazy, detached marketing dealing with friggin Hollywood stars, and investors (among them even the Polish government!) convinced CDPR to be some infallible goldmine... plus this pandemic thing... and the general, typically Polish attitude of "kurva, no problem!" (I can say that, I'm slavic too ) and. Yeaaa... it's a miracle it didn't happen with Witcher 3!

Oh, yeah, but, there were clear words about anger at management saying it was ready last January when it wasn't near it. Furthermore, there was clear frustration about management speaking of features they weren't sure they could get working to the public, early in development. Then there were a lot of up top management changes throughout development, and yes, much more got spent promoting it than developing, but again, that wouldn't be the devs, if that money were spent on increasing their team numbers, it may have gone differently..

 

[Sir_Rudi]

So, my save file is currently at 6,80mb, all I'm doing is saving one of each cosmetic clothes on my car stash for now and keeping one of each gun type as well plus iconics, 80 hours into the game, I want to keep playing still have around 4 districts to 100% and badlands, but probably by the time I get to fully complete one more district my save file is gone? This is lame, if this doesn't get fixed I'm gonna leave a negative review no doubt, this is the tip of the iceberg, I can do with all the performance issues, bugs, unfinished mechanics, short main story, unbalanced game(meaning it's way to easy even on very hard due to the way the game works you can easily get overpowered with 6k armor, infinite crafting materials by just crafting and dismantling crafted items to get more materials back than used) but this is it.

Oh and I'm not going to delete my clothes, after hours of inventory management to keep one of each and the best one's.

 

[warbaby2]

Oh, yeah, but, there were clear words about anger at management saying it was ready last January when it wasn't near it. Furthermore, there was clear frustration about management speaking of features they weren't sure they could get working to the public, early in development. Then there were a lot of up top management changes throughout development, and yes, much more got spent promoting it than developing, but again, that wouldn't be the devs, if that money were spent on increasing their team numbers, it may have gone differently..

Also, true... but that's what usually happens in modern software development. It's the sh*tty state this business is in. If you have one weak link in the whole chain - for instance, team and project leads not defending their developers and reigning in management expectations - you almost certainly bought a nightmare.

 

[DarkTl]

I guess that's how all big software companies work nowadays.
Developers in small indie teams can talk to each other freely. But big companies - even CDPR - work like corporations in CP77. Hence indie games are usually way more polished, even if without Keanu in them.

 

[Dragunovos]

Some basic rudimentary in-game testing.
For reference 90hrs playtime 5124kb save.dat file with a good amount of crafting lv 18 (maxdocs, grenades, clothing mods).

Cleared an area full of enemies leaving all drops on ground 5124kb
Picked up all generated items (enemy drops only) disassembled into components 5120kb
Sold all (common/uncommon/rare) components leaving only 1 of each stack in inventory (Also skip time by 96hrs to clear drop point) 5120kb
Sold remaining 1 item stack of the above components, skip 96hrs 5115kb
Disassembled all clothing/mods in stash (30+ items) 5112kb (not worth it)

This whole thread has been pretty informative.
My strategy going forward scrap all enemy generated drops, collect less clothing, minimal crafting.
Save bloat still exists through natural progression so no getting around that.

 

[Fhysics]

Has anyone else noticed how grenades are bugged when you disassemble them in your inventory? I feel like that might have something to do with this issue. I saw that some people were crafting grenades then disassembling them to get more components than they put in.

I think I just solved the mystery for everyone. Fix the grenade problem.

 

[NanakoAC]

Either in gameservices.ini or nowhere. If it is nowhere, just created an ini file in <cyberpunk_dir>\engine\config\platform\pc\


I did a while back but it didn't fix the problem. But since you can test if the ini method is really working it might be worth a shot. Just create a an ini file in <cyberpunk_dir>\engine\config\platform\pc\ with the following content:

[GameServices]
MaxSaveSize = 16777216
MaxSaveSizeTotal = 20971520

Quoting this so it shows on last page.

Someone who has an unloadable 8MB save file needs to try this out

Not one that was already corrupted though

 

[Azulath]

I guess that's how all big software companies work nowadays.
Developers in small indie teams can talk to each other freely. But big companies - even CDPR - work like corporations in CP77. Hence indie games are usually way more polished, even if without Keanu in them.

I think that assumption is wrong. Indie teams do not even tackle a behemoth like CP2077, you need large teams for that. I'm sure many indie teams that "talk to each other freely" would break under the pressure of CP2077. Furthermore, the companies in CP are rather oppressive by nature and I doubt that's the case for CDPR. Sure, currently they do have an immensely stressful situation and they were under a lot of pressure for the last month(s). But that being said, I do think that management and developers talk with each other and try to get things "right".
This doesn't save them from misunderstandings and errors since we are all humans and sometimes things just go wrong.

 

[burfo1]

If anyone can figure this out, I found a few lines of code in the CP2077.exe using a hex editor that, when searching for the key word "save", I find multiple lines like MaxSaveSizeTotal, MaxSaveSize, PoolSaveData, etc.

If someone can figure out how to change the values that these lines set (8MB) maybe then we can raise the size limit on the save file size. Obviously this might cause issues but maybe it won't, or if it does it will let us play the game beyond the 8MB limit until the devs release a fix.

Some information about this has been discussed earlier in this thread. It's hard to find because there are almost 500 posts but check out this post:
https://forums.cdprojektred.com/index.php?threads/save-files-are-corrupted.11052596/page-12#post-12476606
It appears that a few people tried these things with no particular success.

 

[Fhysics]

Yep, I can confirm I found the cause of the save dat file bloat. It's from crafting then disassembling grenades. Small test I did:

Made 2 identical saves - 6.53mb dat file

Crafted 100 Ozob's nose grenades, then disassembled them, now my dat file is 6.707mb.

Feel free to test it on your own. Everyone needs to stop disassembling grenades. They're bugged.

Hopefully someone can pass this info to CDPR so they can figure out what's going on with the grenades that causes this.

FlorettaV got to the bottom of all this. My post is obselete.

 

[TalentX]

Some information about this has been discussed earlier in this thread. It's hard to find because there are almost 500 posts but check out this post:
https://forums.cdprojektred.com/index.php?threads/save-files-are-corrupted.11052596/page-12#post-12476606
It appears that a few people tried these things with no particular success.

Yep, I can confirm I found the cause of the save dat file bloat. It's from crafting then disassembling grenades. Small test I did:

Made 2 identical saves - 6.53mb dat file

Crafted 100 Ozob's nose grenades, then disassembled them, now my dat file is 6.707mb.

Feel free to test it on your own. Everyone needs to stop disassembling grenades. They're bugged.

Hopefully someone can pass this info to CDPR so they can figure out what's going on with the grenades that causes this.

There was no particular reason to take granades. FlorettaV took granades for hers/his testing purposes but it could have been pants, or shirts, it doesn't matter which item you pick, it will forcefully bloat your save file regardless of what crafting item you pick.

However, this is one way of many to bloat the save!
Your save file bloats with all other ingame activities as well!
Crafting bloats it just faster than the other activities.

Everyone will end up reaching an 8MB save file sooner or later, which is why this is such an urgent problem. In addition it also destroys the purpose of crafting in the game, because as of now it is recommended not to craft many items to delay the 8MB cap as far as possible.

Cheers
TalentX

 

[Azulath]

Hopefully someone can pass this info to CDPR so they can figure out what's going on with the grenades that causes this.

If you - or anyone for that matter - feels to have additional insight that should be passed to CDPR please create a ticket/bug report.

I would report it here:

I am unable to save the game — Cyberpunk 2077 | Technical Support — CD PROJEKT RED

Welcome to CD PROJEKT RED Technical Support! Here you will find help regarding our games and services, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.

support.cdprojektred.com

The other, more dedicated page just displays the generic useless message, the one above has a "contact us" button.

 

[DarkTl]

Furthermore, the companies in CP are rather oppressive by nature and I doubt that's the case for CDPR.

You clearly did not read this

Insider info from CDPR - Development timline (TW2 - CP2077)

I know im gonna get a the usual "yeah but how do yenno its even legit?!?!?" etc etc so take it for what you will some very interesting insight from someone in Poland with a close friend employed with CDPR. god this looks horrendous. most of the OG devs from TW3 gone. mostly new talent fresh out...

forums.cdprojektred.com

 

[Fhysics]

There was no particular reason to take granades. FlorettaV took granades for hers/his testing purposes but it could have been pants, or shirts, it doesn't matter which item you pick, it will forcefully bloat your save file regardless of what crafting item you pick.

However, this is one way of many to bloat the save!
Your save file bloats with all other ingame activities as well!
Crafting bloats it just faster than the other activities.

Everyone will end up reaching an 8MB save file sooner or later, which is why this is such an urgent problem. In addition it also destroys the purpose of crafting in the game, because as of now it is recommended not to craft many items to delay the 8MB cap as far as possible.

Cheers
TalentX

I guess I can see where you're coming from there. I was testing grenades specifically because I noticed in the past when I disassembled them they would bug out in my inventory. I've been crafting like a mad man in the game so far, and my save file was still only 6.5mb even after clearing every marker on the map and having an in-game time of 140 hours. So for 100 grenades to bloat the save file .2mb in one quick test is pretty significant. That could be the same for any item, I suppose, but I'd bet that it has something to do with the crafting perks that allow you to put in less than you get back from crafting then disassembling the same item. Grenades are just the fastest way to exploit that, and they are buggy already. So they're looking pretty sus.

 

[TalentX]

I guess I can see where you're coming from there. I was testing grenades specifically because I noticed in the past when I disassembled them they would bug out in my inventory. I've been crafting like a mad man in the game so far, and my save file was still only 6.5mb even after clearing every marker on the map and having an in-game time of 140 hours. So for 100 grenades to bloat the save file .2mb in one quick test is pretty significant. That could be the same for any item, I suppose, but I'd bet that it has something to do with the crafting perks that allow you to put in less than you get back from crafting then disassembling the same item. Grenades are just the fastest way to exploit that, and they are buggy already. So they're looking pretty sus.

Well, could be true. It's pretty much sure to assume that the crafting system definitely has a problem in terms of bloating the save file faster than anything else. This whole bloating issue is a big problem anyway, not just the fact of an 8MB cap to the save file.

By logic you should be able to decrease save file size by removing items from your inventory, but it doesn't, it actually becomes even larger doing so.

 

[FlorettaV]

I think I've created a support ticket just now(?). I've summarized the data and sent them a link to the posts.

I'm waiting for a message that actually says I did report something. Otherwise I'll send a new one in about an hour.

On a side note: I see a lot of people saying that gaining more resources than you put into an item is a huge problem and should be fixed to not cause savegame files to bloat. I don't agree with this. The fact that you can gain more resources by using them and then disassembling them seems odd at best. It doesn't really affect anything besides personal financial resource status in the game.

The problem with the savegame files is that it is retaining data that isn't there. If all data was to be cleaned up nicely, it shouldn't really matter that you have an unlimited supply of resources. At some point you will then still reach 8MB, but that should be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay harder to achieve (read: you'll need to purposefully be wanting to break the game) if there is no savegame bloating.

In the results I created I simply used resources I got from the map and by disassembling items. I don't have perks that increase the resources I gain etc. . All "fair" and square. (fair in quotation, because using a skill that gives more resources is fair too. It's part of the game).

 

[Azulath]

You clearly did not read this

I have not. I will read this later when I have some time, seems like a longer read though.

 

[Fhysics]

I think I've created a support ticket just now(?). I've summarized the data and sent them a link to the posts.

I'm waiting for a message that actually says I did report something. Otherwise I'll send a new one in about an hour.

On a side note: I see a lot of people saying that gaining more resources than you put into an item is a huge problem and should be fixed to not cause savegame files to bloat. I don't agree with this. The fact that you can gain more resources by using them and then disassembling them seems odd at best. It doesn't really affect anything besides personal financial resource status in the game.

The problem with the savegame files is that it is retaining data that isn't there. If all data was to be cleaned up nicely, it shouldn't really matter that you have an unlimited supply of resources. At some point you will then still reach 8MB, but that should be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay harder to achieve (read: you'll need to purposefully be wanting to break the game) if there is no savegame bloating.

In the results I created I simply used resources I got from the map and by disassembling items. I don't have perks that increase the resources I gain etc. . All "fair" and square. (fair in quotation, because using a skill that gives more resources is fair too. It's part of the game).

All of this makes sense, and yeah that's the inevitable conclusion to testing. I thought I was onto something, but it's not any specific thing that causes it. Mass-crafting in general just accelerates the process. Thanks for testing it and sending in the ticket.

 

[KzarKnuckle]

Have you tried deleting some older saves Hakimodo, the game might not like it when there are too many manual saves

I'm not sure if that's a factor. I have almost 800 manual saves, and it doesn't seem to be affecting my gameplay, or file sizes. Granted, that might only be the case for me.

 

[FlorettaV]

It just boots up into the game. No launcher like GoG or Steam.

As for saves, I've noticed it only keeps 10 total autosaves(0 thru 9). It starts to overwrite the oldest autosave as so forth. I assume Manual saves are the same in that you can only have 10(0 thru 9 like autos) manual ones. Which would add up to the 20 save max.

Now on Xbox it shows the total file size of all combined saves. In order to see how big only 1 specific save file is, all other saves would needed deleted and only the specific save left. And that's what I do. I only keep one manual save. My current file is 5.0mb level 36 at about 66 hours, at the point of no return with only side missions, gigs and NCPD stuff left to do in Heywood, City Center, Santo Domingo, Pacifica, and the area south of Pacifica/Santo Domingo.

Also I heard on PlayStation the 12mb shown isn't file size, but the total allotted space for that specific save file. So apparently PlayStation users can't ever actually see their save file's true size. Just the 12mb allotted per individual save file.

I guess to me it just seems really weird amd confusing that this corruption issue would only affect PC and not console. I don't get how PC functions in a way that this bug could occur yet consoles don't.

All this assuming this truly is a PC only bug.

Been catching up with this thread a bit.

I highly doubt savegames on consoles work differently. A savegame of 5MB in a playthrough of 66 hours seems perfectly fine. Note; Not only inventory data is stored in your savegame. It keeps quest-status, NPC-status, locations, unlocked content, game status, etc etc etc. in the save file.

The fact that PS5 shows 12MB for savegames is one I noticed yesterday. They seem to *all* show 12MB. So it looks like that is just simply pre-allocated space to be sure a savefile actually fits if it increases in size and you overwrite that save. I honestly highly doubt that PS5 has actually got a maximum of 12MB. Nothing about the save system seems to be changed in comparison to TW3. It'd be really weird if they choose to change the maximum save file size on the PS only.

If there would be any changes to storing save-games, then the only one I can imagine is that a console itself decides a game can't have more than X saves or can't use more than X space to save. I don't think that's the case, so I also don't think you should be limited to 20 (10 auto, 10 manual) saves on xbox. You should be able to test this though

Again; We can't know for sure and we're not getting confirmation anyway. Just by logics; I'm fairly certain saves are the same over all platforms and I'm fairly certain bloating exists on all platforms, and I'm fairly certain the maximum save size is the same on all platforms.